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Friday, March 17, 2006

Things are not always as they first appear

A few years ago my children were acting up in a church service. They were silently arguing over a shared arm rest between the seats. Although no words were exchanged between them the argument was getting more heated. Our usual method for temporarily solving the issue in a situation like this is to instruct them to hold hands until we can resolve the matter later. So I gently tapped one of the children on the shoulder and told them to hold hands until the meeting was over. They knew I meant it. So they immediately clasped hands until the final song and closing prayer. The meeting finally finished and we were able to resolve the matter.

Life went on.

Later that week I got a call from a friend. During the course of the conversation she complimented me on how well my children get along and how much they love each other. I thanked her for the compliment. Out of curiousity I asked what prompted her to say this now. She told me she saw the two children holding hands in church. And during the prayer time they seemed so bonded together.

My pride wanted to let her go on believing my children were near perfection. But my laughter told her that she was way off. I recounted to her the real reason they were holding hands. She joined me in my laughter. We both realized that despite appearances, situations may not always be exactly what we first believe.

It is always better in uncertain situations to wait and make sure that we have a complete picture and the complete truth is known before passing judgement favorable or unfavorable on a situation.